SINGAPORE — Reminiscing about his first visit to Pulau Ubin in 2003, Mr Nor Syazwan Abdul Majid vividly recalls cycling on a tandem bicycle with his mother and passing by several derelict huts before coming to a stop near the house she grew up in.
That was the day his mother, Ms Noor Riah Sulong, revealed to Mr Syazwan that he was a descendant of the islanders of Pulau Ubin.
Ms Riah was originally born in 1959 on Pulau Tekong, before her family migrated to Pulau Ubin that same year in search of better job opportunities.
She would spend the next 20 years on Pulau Ubin, before getting married and moving to mainland Singapore.
Ms Riah, now 64, would continue visiting her mother and two siblings in Pulau Ubin on weekends, until all members of the family eventually moved to mainland Singapore in the 1990s.
Although Mr Syazwan, now 27, had discovered his roots as a child, his interest in the island only deepened during his time in National Service, he told TODAY on Sunday (Aug 6).
“I started to wonder a little bit more about my sense of purpose,” said Mr Syazwan, an undergraduate at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work and a minor in sociology.
“That was when I was reminded about my mum’s stories growing up on the island and I started to become very curious.”
THE PROJECT
His curiosity led him on a mission to find the remnants of his grandparents’ home and discover more about his heritage. In 2018, he started “Wan’s Ubin Journal” across several social media platforms.
“I started to interact more with the residents here. It’s my way of reconnecting back to my roots and the community that I have long been disconnected from,” he said.
Coincidentally, in 2018, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced that it was looking for proposals from the community for the restoration of five houses on Pulau Ubin, one of which was simply known as "House 6J" in Kampung Sungei Durian.
Mr Syazwan jumped at the opportunity.
Through conversations with the residents of Pulau Ubin, he realised that there was a lack of a shared praying space for the Muslim community.
He had also tended to several family and community funerals, which fuelled his desire to preserve his heritage.
“I realised that as soon as these people disappear, their stories are gone with them. We won't be able to immortalise all this knowledge that has been passed on for generations,” he said.
With these in mind, Mr Syazwan found his vision for House 6J — to turn it into a community gallery and Muslim prayer space.
“Hopefully with the construction of a community gallery, we are able to immortalise the stories so that when people visit this space on the island, they're able to learn more about our way of life,” he said.
He submitted his proposals to NParks through the Friends of Ubin community network, and it has since been supported in principle.
In 2019, while Mr Syazwan was working for NParks as a community liaison officer, he found his collaborator in Mr Raja Mohd Fairuz, an architect and polytechnic lecturer who had been conducting a participatory design research class on the architecture of Pulau Ubin.
Mr Syazwan approached Mr Raja with his initial plans for House 6J, and the two quickly formed a partnership through shared interests.
Now, they work hand-in-hand in leading the project.
The pair are currently in the process of gathering volunteers for the project. Once they have found their volunteers, on-the-ground research will be done with residents of Pulau Ubin before design elements are finalised and an initial cost estimate is presented to NParks.
With this project, Mr Syazwan hopes to honour the residents of Pulau Ubin and help them rekindle their pride in the island.
He also hopes to educate visitors to the island.
“We hope that they don't just see Pulau Ubin as a nature space, but also as a place that is filled with rich heritage and culture, so that they are able to further appreciate this part of Singapore that is often overlooked,” he said.
Mr Syazwan began calling for youth volunteers on Aug 1 across his various social media pages, looking for people with a background in architecture, research or publicity.
He has received more than 30 applications over the past few days.
CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMUNITY
This is not Mr Syazwan’s first project on Pulau Ubin.
In 2019, he kickstarted the "WUJ Kampung Clean-Up" project, which he renamed “Project Gotong Royong” in 2022, a monthly affair where volunteers assist residents in maintaining and cleaning up their kampung.
Mr Syazwan cited the island's increasingly ageing population as one of the reasons for starting this project, as elderly residents would need more help with maintenance.
“This includes raking leaf litter, removing pre-loved items and mainly beautifying the kampung so it looks a little bit more proper and presentable for visitors of the island.”
In December 2020, Mr Syazwan also began offering a paid service called “WUJ Heritage Hike”, where he would guide participants across Pulau Ubin, sharing his intimate knowledge of the island’s rich culture and heritage through the lens of the "orang pulau" (Malay term for islanders) community.
To celebrate Ubin Day 2023, which happens annually on June 24, Mr Syazwan offered his heritage services for free, guiding 70 participants in exploring the island.
WHAT RESIDENTS SAY
Speaking to TODAY, past and present residents of Kampung Sungei Durian in Pulau Ubin are supportive of Mr Syazwan’s efforts, saying that it is important to preserve the place's culture and heritage.
Mr Othman, 78, who lives in one of the houses in Kampung Sungei Durian with his wife, said that life in Pulau Ubin is alien to most people.
“The reason why I still have so much stamina is that I am staying in a kampung. It is about peace and serenity. Once you are here, the air is fresher, and you can relax more,” said Mr Othman, who goes by one name.
Mr Abdul Malek Salleh, 68, who used to live in Kampung Sungei Durian before moving to mainland Singapore in 2000, believes that it is important to showcase what the villagers had gone through.
“I feel very good about the project. It will showcase the struggles, hard work, culture and heritage of the Malay community in Kampung Sungei Durian and Pulau Ubin.”
https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...rs-preserve-heritage-muslim-community-2227276
